Why are audiences willing to accept any shortcomings that may be present in independent live action films, but not animation? Most reviews, not really including this one, go on and on about how "terrible" the animation is. Obviously, it's not as great as what the big studios are doing... but should we expect it to be?

I thought about it for a little bit and then come up with the answer that the above statement doesn't hold up at all.

First of all, indie does not mean bad and low quality. Yes, they may not have as many backers and not all the funds necessary to make a fast paced vfx heavy adventure thriller but that does not mean an indie film is automatically lesser than all the other films in theaters. There are many beautiful and well done indie films, such as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, etc. and yes, there are also amateurish indie films out there but when you see those you don't just pass it off as "it's okay if it's a bad movie, it's indie" you critique it's plots, the pacing, the continuity, and the actors/actresses. Film is an art and you expect the people who are creating the art to know what they are doing properly. I would say the same for animation. Just because it's not a Pixar/Disney/Dreamworks/Bluesky studio making the movie, that doesn't automatically give the studio and it's artist a free pass to create mediocrity. Filmmakers should know their cameras, shot composition, scene flow just like how animators should know their ease in/outs, strong silhouettes, avoid twinning, and arcs.

*I haven't seen Legends of Oz yet so I don't know what the animation actually looks like. The above statement is a generalization.